Into the Lion's Den - Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
(US); (UK) | Production =10321 | Writer =Rockne S. O'Bannon | Director =Rowan Woods | Guests =Tammy MacIntosh (Jool), David Franklin (Braca), Danny Adcock (Co-Kura Strappa), Lenore Smith (Lt. Darinta Larell), Marta Dusseldorp (Officer Yal Henta), Sheridan Rynne (Brenna), Terrence Hepburn (Armak) | Episode list = | Prev =Into the Lion's Den - Lambs to the Slaughter | Next =Dog with Two Bones }} With the crew's plan against Scorpius failed, two allies must perform their final duty to save them all. Synopsis Just after Scorpius threatened to go to Earth, he tells John Crichton that he doesn't care of Earth or his species; only that they matter to John. He says that he's out of time – the Commandant may return at any time, and he must give her results or she will scrap the research and the Scarrans will take over half the galaxy. John just tells Scorpius that he's screwed, but Scorpius reminds him that if he is "screwed", then things around here will get very ugly. John, Aeryn, and Crais are in the Officer's Lounge, and Aeryn says that they've already succeeded as Grayza is due back soon with the authorization to shut down the wormhole project, but John says that Scorpius will not just sit back and let his baby die. In the restorative chamber, Jool, Ka D'Argo, Rygel, and Chiana agree that they'll stay no longer. The others enter, and John tells them that Grayza's arrival changes everything. He tells them that he's run out of time to destroy the research from the inside; there's only one option left – destroy the command carrier! John tells them that all of Scorpius' data is on the ship, this ship is the Peacekeeper wormhole project. Rygel says that the ship is over a metra long, prompting Chiana to ask if it can be done. John says that he doesn't care how, while Aeryn tells them that there are over 50,000 men, women, and children on board, but John maintains that they'll find a way to get them off. D'Argo objects, although John reminds him that is what they came here to do. He asks Crais if there is a way, and Crais replies that he'll need to see specs on the modifications since he left. John assures them that they can do this, and that they have to try. Rygel says that he's seen how powerful wormhole weapons can be and what horrible destruction they can wreak – no one should wield such power. Crais attempts to board Talyn, but an officer stops him, saying that Scorpius has ordered them not to allow Crais on board. John and Harvey talk, and John asks if Scorpius really would attack Earth. Harvey says that he wouldn't put it past Scorpius to travel for sixty cycles to destroy an insignificant planet simply for revenge, and then asks if whether if he gained the ability to return home, he would really destroy that information. Co-Kura Strappa snaps him out of the discussion, and John is absentmindedly writing all over his hands wormhole equations which is unlocking more secrets. As Co-Kura leaves to enter in the new data, John realizes that he is accessing the wormhole knowledge through his subconscious and he could succeed in controlling them if he wants. Lt. Larell tells Crais that he must get aboard Talyn, but Crais replies that Talyn is dead, unless he has something to trade. Braca enters Scorpius' command room, bringing in Crais under armed escort. Crais says he has a demand, prompting Scorpius to send him away. As he is dragged out, Crais says that he demands he suffers no repercussions for his actions during exile, that the Leviathan hybrid be resurrected, and he will be the leader of that project alongside Lt. Larell. Scorpius is intrigued, assuming Crais has something comparable to offer, and Crais responds that he has more than that. Scorpius says that once Commandant Grayza returns, any agreement they make may not be honored, but Crais says that an executive order signed now, no matter what Scorpius' dishonors may be in the future, will stand. Scorpius accepts his terms, and has Crais released. Crais tells Scorpius that John has no intention of helping him – he is conspiring with some of Moya s crew to destroy the Carrier. Aeryn enters the Peacekeeper training ground, finding an injured girl. She takes a look and cleans it up, but Henta comes along, and hits the wound, saying to let it bleed and scar, as she'll want it later, and sends her away. She tells Aeryn not to make her soft, but Aeryn says that there is so much she doesn't know. Crais comes along and tells Aeryn there is a problem, and to follow him. Meanwhile, D'Argo, Rygel, Chiana, and Jool have secured their information on the Carrier for John, but are stopped by security. John is still working, and Strappa says that the equations are flowing from him. Scorpius enters and says that it seems John's subconscious has blossomed, despite himself. He tells John that his plot against the ship has failed – his friends are in custody. Crais is brought in, and John leaps on him. He's restrained, but screams that Crais is dead. Scorpius says that if Grayza insists his friends stay imprisoned then so be it. John says that it was all him, but Scorpius tells him that he makes no more demands; cooperate or he'll kill them all. D'Argo, Rygel, Jool, and Chiana are in a cell, where D'Argo says he was a prisoner for 8 cycles before. Rygel adds that last time it took him 130 cycles to escape from the Peacekeepers – he was lucky. John goes to the generator room to meet with Aeryn, but Crais is there too. She tells John that he needs to listen. Crais says that the ship can't be destroyed by throwing switches; he needed the distraction so that Scorpius would believe that the plot had failed – he kept Aeryn safe because he needs her. He says that all he cared for are gone, his parents were taken away, his brother is dead, so now he does and lives only for his interests. Despite that, he understands the power of the technology, and the horror that will wash over the galaxy if anyone wields it, but he now knows that he's the only individual capable of stopping it. John goes to leave but Aeryn says that they're all on the same page; they all want the ship destroyed. Crais tells John that the only way to do that is with Talyn. Aeryn adds that Crais proposes that he and Talyn starburst while still in the Carrier's hangar, doing such in an inclosed space will cause a massive explosion, causing the hangar to collapse upon itself. It will then take at least half an arn for the rest of the Carrier to fully implode, giving the crew some time to escape. John asks Aeryn to tell him that she believes Crais, so she in turn asks if he has another way to destroy the ship. Crichton admits he hasn't, then asks Crais where they meet with him and Talyn. Crais tells him they won't; starburst in a confined space will in fact destroy Talyn as well as himself but notes it will be the hero's death the young Leviathan deserves. However he tells Crichton he will need a significant distraction to occupy Scorpius, and John says he'll get one. John returns to the experiment room and tells Strappa that they're going on a trip to get his module. Larell meets Crais in a corridor and asks what's happening. She tells him that she knows something is wrong, and if she suspects he's conspiring against Scorpius she must report it. Crais says that yes, she must, and tells her not to be disloyal to Scorpius in any way. In front of everyone, he hits knocking her down, and tells her to tell Scorpius it won't work – next time he sends a spy, to send someone he actually cares about. On Moya, Strappa tells John to hurry. In his den, John has told Pilot and Moya what Crais is intending to do. Pilot tells John that Moya understands; at least the violent death Talyn was destined for this way will be a more noble one. He asks if he'll see John again, and John tells him to be ready to starburst away if he doesn't see them rushing at her to escape, and to give Moya his love. Pilot forwards her love to him, as well as his own. Aeryn is walking the corridors with a rope, as John is prepping his module for flight. Scorpius asks why he got it, and John says that he has a theory as to why his primitive ship with no shields survives wormholes. Scorpius calls for the first pilot who is ready to fly it, but Crichton says no – they may screw things up. He admits that he could die on the trip, but that the Commandant will execute him on her return anyway. He invites/challenges Scorpius, who will die anyway due to the bracelet if anything does go wrong, to accompany him instead to finally experience wormholes up close. Scorpius and John are in the module, and enter the nearby wormhole. Scorpius tells John that the experience is without description. They approach a zone of instability, as the entire ship listens to them over the comms, distracted. Crais tries to get to Talyn, but the same officer stops him again and says Scorpius' orders changed – if Crais tried to board Talyn again he was to shoot to kill. Strappa announces that all their readings are in the danger zone, while Crais throws a small grenade to distract the Peacekeepers. Aeryn swings down from the ceiling and they take the Peacekeepers out. John tells Scorpius that flying wormholes takes finesse, and manages to stabilize. Aeryn has her hand on Crais' face, and tells him to go now. Scorpius says that he's never felt this "connected", and Strappa tells them they should return to the Carrier. Crais boards Talyn, and tells him not to be afraid. He says that his weapons were all confiscated by the Peacekeepers, and Moya will be enslaved unless they do something radical, together. John and Scorpius return, when Crais' voice booms over the ship-wide comm. He tells Scorpius that he is making his final goodbyes, and that he is standing in Scorpius' heart about to squeeze hard. Scorpius tells Braca to locate and stop him. Crais tells Scorpius that he is the most repellent of creatures; he wasn't born into the Peacekeepers or conscripted against he's will and taken from his home (like Crais) but actively chose to be one. Scorpius orders to scramble all Prowlers, but Braca tells him they're not planning to escape. Crais says that the last time he left this ship, his ship, Scorpius forced him out, and stole his life from him. This time, he is not leaving quietly. Scorpius calls to get the traitor off the ship, but as the Carrier starts to shake, John tells him to hang on to something. Scorpius is shocked at realizing that Crichton and Crais were working together all along, and snarls as Strappa. At Crais' order, Talyn starbursts and is destroyed in a massive explosion, sending energy rippling through the Carrier. People, in a panic, run through the corridors screaming, as D'Argo says to the others, "he's done it – it's going down". Escape pods, Prowlers and Marauders start fleeing the doomed carrier. D'Argo and the others shout to be released, as the cell begins to fall apart. Aeryn clears the training ground, as Scorpius leaves the experiment room. The next room he enters becomes flooded with water, but Scorpius continues to walk, only stopping for a moment to watch his ship fall. John tries to get an outraged Strappa to leave, saying that the wormhole technology would not just be a scientific achievement, as he sees it – but a weapon with the potential to kill millions, and he can not let the Peacekeepers have it. Strappa informs him that other than John he too holds significant data, and Scorpius will find him and force him to tell him what he knows. They go to the Aurora Chair to wipe his memories, where John tells him that he's very brave. Aeryn arrives at the cell, where as it collapses the bars bend, allowing everyone to escape. Scorpius returns to his command room and comms the ship to begin priority-one escape procedures, and then tells Braca to go with him. Aeryn comms John to tell him the others are OK, and John says not to wait – he's going to his module and they'll meet back at Moya. John erases the knowledge from Strappa's mind, as D'Argo calls Pilot to patch him through to his ship. He voice activates it for rescue retrieval. Aeryn is faced by Henta in a corridor, where she blames Aeryn for costing some people their lives. Aeryn replies that she knows she's saving millions, but Henta says she cannot save herself. Just then, one of the bolts of fire emanating from the destruction hits her, and Aeryn is forced to watch her former friend ensure a painful death. Pilot tells D'Argo that they must escape before the implosion or Moya will be destroyed. John reaches his module, but is met by Scorpius. John says that it looks like their partnership is over. Scorpius says that John's name will be remembered by millions, as because of him the Scarrans will soon destroy them all. John replies that one evil at a time is the best he can do. John asks if he'll still go after Earth; Scorpius replies that the only vengeance he ever cared about is now no longer within his grasp. They tell each other the codes to remove their i-Yench bracelets. John says "we were close", and throws the bracelet down. He says that if they're going to get off this boat, now would be a good time. Scorpius tells him that he may not be getting off, and sadly says goodbye. John calls for him, but he leaves. Aeryn comms that the others are away, and she's leaving in a Prowler now. John tells her to fly safe. Back on Moya, D'Argo says he knew they'd ultimately leave each other but he didn't know it'd take this long, and Rygel replies that he won't miss anyone. Then, "well, maybe a little". Chiana tells D'Argo that she'll probably try to find the Nebari resistance. Jool is with Pilot, who asks whether or not she'll also leave if they find her people. She starts to cry, and says that from what she can tell, she won't be the only one leaving Moya soon, which saddens Pilot. On command, John is seated, still writing equations on his body next to a sad and silent Aeryn, as they think about Crais and Talyn's sacrifice. Memorable quotes * :Crais (Over comm, to whole ship): Scorpius, I am just making my final goodbyes. :Scorpius: Where are you, Crais? :Crais: I am standing in your heart, and I'm about to squeeze. * :Crais: You are the most repellent of creatures, Scorpius. You weren't born into Peacekeepers; you weren't conscripted, against your will. You chose to be one... The last time I left this ship, my ship, I did so under a veil of secrecy. You forced that situation. You took away my command. You stole my life from me! Well this time, Scorpius, I am not leaving quietly! :Scorpius: Somebody find that fool, and get him out of that ship! (The Carrier starts to rumble) Somebody, get that traitor off that ship! :John: I suggest you hang on to something. :Crais: Talyn, starburst! *'Scorpius': John Crichton... Commander John Crichton. Generations will know that name. Because of you very soon... the Scarrans will destroy us. Background information * Stark does not appear in this episode * The scene where Scorpius walks up the stairs as the lake flows down the steps had to be done in one take. Many of the production personnel came to watch. ( ) * Wayne Pygram revealed that just before the water cascaded down the steps, he realized that the tread at the bottom of his boots was thinner than he would have preferred. ( ) * Ricky Manning jokingly suggested that the subtitle for the episode be "Abandon Sheep". ( ) * Crichton's line "Yo Harrison, get your shoes on" is an inside joke by Rockne S. O'Bannon referring to an old neighbor of his who was never able to lend a hand as he never had his shoes on. ( ) * Many of the sets built for Talyn were redressed for this episode, giving the carrier a grand scale that would have been unaffordable otherwise. ( ) * Dave Elsey had designed the burn make-up for Henta's death. The original version was even more graphic, and he had suggested that as she burned, she start moving toward Aeryn and the camera. * Claudia Black and the crew placed bets on which direction the statue in the park would fall when it went down. ( ) * The code Crichton used was 911. Rowan Woods said that other numbers were considered including "666". ( ) * Woods considered the episode to be an homage to the war films of the fifties and sixties, including and . * One of the deleted scenes from this episode originally had Rygel farting a considerable amount of helium in order to clear the room of Peacekeepers, at one point even asking Chiana to pull his finger. * During the initial airing of this episode by the BBC, the graphic nature of Henta's burning death was cut considerably. * Aeryn acquires a new Prowler in this episode, replacing the one that was destroyed in Die Me, Dichotomy. Links and references Starring * Ben Browder as John Crichton * Claudia Black as Aeryn Sun * Anthony Simcoe as Ka D'Argo * Gigi Edgley as Chiana * Paul Goddard as Stark * Lani Tupu as Bialar Crais * Wayne Pygram as Scorpius Guest stars * Tammy MacIntosh as Jool * David Franklin as Braca * Marta Dusseldorp as Officer Yal Henta * Danny Adcock as Co-Kura Strappa * Lenore Smith as Lt. Darinta Larell Guest cast * Sheridan Rynne as Brenna * Ross Sharp as Scorpius Aide * Terrence Hepburn as Armak Puppeteers * Sean Masterson * Tim Mieville * Mat McCoy * Mario Halouvas * Fiona Gentle * Dave Collins Voice artists * Jonathan Hardy as Rygel * Lani Tupu as Pilot References 911; arn; Aurora Chair; banana; Boolite; car; central core; checkers; chess; command; command carrier; Commandant; comms; Crais, Elann; Crais, Tauvo; Crais, Wimmah; cycle; Earth; Farscape-1; frell; Gandhi; Go Fish; Grasshopper; Grayza, Mele-On; gunship; Harvey; hetch drive; hezmana; Human; hybrid; I-Yensch bracelet; Jenset; Kodak; Kung Fu; Leviathan; lifepod; Lo'La; metra; microt; mivonks; Moya; Nebari; Nebari Resistance; Peacekeeper; Peacekeeper High Command; prowler; Queeg; rantath flux; Scarran; Silly Putty; Skywalker, Luke; Solo, Han; sonic ascendency cannon; Star Wars; starburst; strawberry; Talyn; The Caine Mutiny; Walteran fountain; wormhole; wormhole technology; External links * Category:Season 3 episodes